June 21, 2026 | Jonathan and David, Resolute Friends

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Devotional Reading: Proverbs 27:6, 10–11, 17, 19

Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 19:1–7; 20:1–42; 2 Samuel 1:17–27

Introduction

A. Rivals Turned Friends

C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien’s friendship is no secret to their readers. Each was an English professor at Merton College in Oxford during the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. They met during a faculty meeting in 1926 and went on to enjoy forty years of mutual encouragement and support. Tolkien played a vital role in Lewis’s Christian conversion, and Lewis pressed Tolkien to finish several important writing projects.

Although they each held literary aspirations, their initial impression of one another was sour. Their different interests and personalities—combined with initially contradictory religious beliefs—made conflict and rivalry seem inevitable. But over time, the two set aside their differences and recognized their shared passions for curriculum, language, and creative writing. The pair developed such a strong bond that Tolkien would later refer to Lewis’s death as leaving a permanent wound in his heart.

Today’s lesson considers another famous friendship. Their relationship shows loyalty to one another and God.